I just wanted to let you know that I am going to be on two radio interviews in the next day discussing the important topic of college and binge drinking. We also might discuss the recent article in Time magazinediscussing the controversial topic of heavy drinkers “living longer” than non-drinkers. Below is the information to listen online, and the article I recently wrote on the topic of binge drinking.
KMOX in St. Louis – Tuesday, 9/14 at 10:30 PM MST
Click on the Listen Live on the right
KXYL Texas – Wednesday, 9/15 at 4:30 PM MST
Back to College, Back to Binge Drinking? Alcohol and Abuse Studies Prove Parents Should be Concerned
What is one of the most common things that freshman and returning college students do their first weekend at college? Simply put, college students party. Not only do college students party, but alcohol and abuse is so prevelant to the point that almost half of the students binge drink.
The truth is alcohol use and abuse is widespread at most colleges. And with widespread alcohol use and abuse comes social acceptance, ease of access, peer pressure and serious consequences. According to a report by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism the number of deaths related to alcohol with students in a 4 year university was 1,800 in 2005. This number is up from 1,400 in 1998. A Harvard College Alcohol Study reported that binge drinking among four year college students remains the same the last 8 years, which is a whopping 44%.
But what are the consequences of alcohol abuse with college students? Should parents of these children really care, or is this simply what should be expected? Here are just a few of the concerning consequences.
- Alcoholism – Alcohol abuse and binge drinking in college can easily be a stepping stone to becoming a full-fledged alcoholic.
- Health Issues – Not only can there by short term health consequences from drinking, such as alcohol poisoning and death, but there are significant long-term concerns from alcohol and abuse.
- Sexual Assault – In one study 55% of men who acknowledged committing sexual assault also admitted they were under the influence. In the same study 53% of the women that were assaulted were under the influence of alcohol.
- Poor Grades – Grades and performance in school is often impacted by frequent binge drinkers.
These are just a few of the concerning consequences of drinking and alcohol abuse in college. Of course sexual assault, date rape and death rank at the top of the list of nightmares for any parent.
If you wanted to read more information I have written another article on my alcohol and abuse website, which you can find here -Does Back To College Mean Back To Binge Drinking?
I would love to hear from you below, so feel free to put in a comment and let me know what you think about this topic, especially if you have something I should discuss on these interviews.
Thanks, Dave
